2006.12.27: December 27, 2006: Headlines: COS - Tonga: Fallen: Safety: Aspen Times: The Family of Peace Corps Volunteer Tessa Horan says the Peace Corps' handling of her death in a shark attack in Tonga in February left them with a bitter feeling

The Family of Peace Corps Volunteer Tessa Horan says the Peace Corps' handling of her death in a shark attack in Tonga in February left them with a bitter feeling

Horan's mother, Kristena Prater, said the Peace Corps refused to pay for the memorial service and misled the family about retrieving the body. Though Horan's family achieved a great deal of healing on a trip to Tonga to build a library in her name, the difficulties they encountered have pushed Prater to try to change Peace Corps guidelines. "My daughter was serving her country," Prater said. "I wrote to the Peace Corps, and they weren't receptive, so I've involved my congressman and my governor."

The Peace Corps' handling of volunteer Tessa Horan's death in a shark attack in Tonga in February left her family with a bitter feeling.

Horan's mother, Kristena Prater, said the Peace Corps refused to pay for the memorial service and misled the family about retrieving the body.

Though Horan's family achieved a great deal of healing on a trip to Tonga to build a library in her name, the difficulties they encountered have pushed Prater to try to change Peace Corps guidelines.

"My daughter was serving her country," Prater said. "I wrote to the Peace Corps, and they weren't receptive, so I've involved my congressman and my governor."

Within five hours of Horan's death at the age of 24, a Peace Corps representative was standing on Prater's doorstep. The only problem was that the representative - Sharon Sugarek - was from the recruiting and marketing office, with no experience dealing with a death.

Soon after, Sugarek said costs associated with a memorial service would be paid for, according to Prater. However, while Peace Corps guidelines cover the cost of a headstone and burial plot, they do not cover the cost of a memorial service.

Horan's family decided against a headstone and burial plot. Since then, Prater has talked with other families that lost children in Peace Corps service. She found the Peace Corps has reimbursed other families more than $10,000 for funerals, but though Horan's memorial cost less than $10,000, it was not paid for.

"The Peace Corps has paid for all those costs related to Tessa's death for which it had authority," Peace Corps spokeswoman Amanda Host.

Prater, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M., has called that, too, into question in a letter she sent through her congressman, U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M.

"We sent a letter of support with her correspondence," said Robert Vasquez, Udall's constituent service director. "It is my understanding from a conversation I had with [the Peace Corps] that they are looking into possibly making changes on guidelines based on her suggestions."

One of those suggestions is that the Peace Corps simply cut an equal check to each family that has lost someone in service. As it stands, many people with different belief systems will receive less and have to pay more.

The family also feels misled regarding the escorting of Horan's body back from Tonga. Though Kevin Horan wanted to bring his daughter's body back, the Peace Corps told him that by the time he got to Tonga, her body would be en route to the United States. Weeks later, after further investigation, the family found that he could have made it to Tonga before the body returned.

Prater said she is dealing with it by trying to improve the Peace Corps, but a certain level of distrust remains.

Prater said her family members are not the only ones who had problems with the way the Peace Corps dealt with deaths.

One thing that troubles Prater was the Peace Corps request that the family write a letter to volunteers discouraging them from coming to the memorial service in New Mexico. The family wrote the letter, an action Prater said she now regrets.

"The long trip, uncertain accommodations in New Mexico, personal expense and hiatus from their living and working lives in Tonga were burdens we did not believe the volunteers should have assumed," Host said. "The early termination or separation of the volunteers in Tonga were all considered separate incidents, and each volunteer stated a variety of reasons for their desire to return to the U.S."

Prater said that if the Peace Corps had encouraged them to grieve, then six out of 14 would not have quit.

"It was psychologically very debilitating for her colleagues," Prater said. "When she died, the Peace Corps brought them together in the capital city. They sat vigil with the body until her body left Tonga. It's a really beautiful thing what they did. How can we honor these people who took care of Tessa's body? What can we do to honor the boy who tried to save Tessa's life? It ended up that our family did it instead of the Peace Corps helping out with it."

All Volunteers Safe in FijiAll Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed to read the latest breaking news.

Ron Tschetter in Morocco and JordanOn his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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Story Source: Aspen Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Tonga; Fallen; Safety

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